Rare photographs of the liberation of two concentration camps, seen in colour for the first time, have revealed the true horror of the Shoah.

The stills have been taken from reels of film shown at the Nuremberg Trials, which sit in the US National Archives, and painstakingly colourised by Matt Mason of Spaceship Earth, a historical conservation project aimed at combating misinformation and Holocaust denial.

The footage, parts of which are too graphic to publish, show US soldiers liberating the Leipzig and Penig camps and tending to the inmates.

Members of the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe can also be seen assisting them as the US Army often forced captured soldiers to participate in liberations and come face to face with the atrocities of the Nazi regime.

A captive Luftwaffe officer carries a teenage girl from the ambulance (Image: US National Archive/Spaceship Earth)

A medic from the 6th Armoured Division assesses a frail woman (Image: US National Archive/Spaceship Earth)

According to Matt, the films were taken on the orders of Allied Supreme Commander General Eisenhower (later President Eisenhower) to document counter any future denial of the genocide.

Matt told the JC: “I am not Jewish, and I don’t get paid to do this. I’m involved because I am deeply passionate about preserving this history and believe it’s the right thing to do.

"I realised that black-and-white footage often feels like a barrier to the past—it doesn’t reflect how people at the time actually witnessed these events, which they saw in full colour.

“By restoring and colourising this footage, we aim to help people emotionally connect with the reality of what happened, breaking down that barrier and making the past feel more immediate and impactful.” 

He explained that the original footage was played at the Nuremberg Trials, where top Nazi war criminals including Rudolf Hess and Hermann Göring were forced to watch it.

Russians freed from Leipzig concentration camp look through the wire that once penned them in (Image: US National Archive/Spaceship Earth)

A survivor chats with camera crews from her hospital bed (Image: US National Archives/Spaceship Earth)

There is even accompanying footage from Göring’s hearing in which the former Luftwaffe chief can be seen looking away from the images of detainees’ suffering.

Matt and his team scanned what footage they could into 4K quality to ensure the best possible clarity and are raising funds to try colourise more of the reels used at Nuremberg.

He added: “Our ultimate goal is to ensure that this restored and colourised footage reaches decision-makers and those in power.

"For example, we plan to show it to Parliament...It is critical that those who shape the policies and future of this country fully understand the Holocaust—not just as history, but as a stark reminder of where hate, prejudice, and misinformation can lead.

"We plan to donate the footage to all Holocaust Museums worldwide and put it on the internet for free. We hope to campaign to get it shown on the BBC and streaming services.”

The team also plans to expand the project further to colourise all the remaining footage taken by camp liberators and all recordings of the Nuremberg Trials to ensure they endure well beyond the Holocaust passing out of living memory.

Women receive medical treatment at the Penig camp (Image: US National Archives/Spaceship Earth)

A group of young women smile ‘for the first time in years’ outside a Red Cross hospital (Image: US National Archive/Spaceship Earth)